MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart blogs about all things Astros.

Astros will check out Cuban phenom Chapman

The Astros, along with a handful of other teams, will have a contingent checking out Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman when he throws for scouts Tuesday at an undisclosed location in Houston. Chapman, the hard-throwing pitcher who has hit 102 mph, defected when the Cuban national team was in the Netherlands in July and is trying to land a Major League contract.

Chapman, who is represented by Houston agents Randy and Alan Hendricks, could land a lucrative multi-million dollar contract. Scouts have seen him up close at the World Baseball Classic, so it’s hard to know how far Tuesday’s workout will go in determining his fate.

With the Red Sox and Yankees among the teams who have their interest piqued by Chapman, the Astros aren’t exacly in the financial position to be a suitor for the 22-year-old phenom. But the fact the event is in Houston was enough for general manager Ed Wade, assistant general manager Bobby Heck and national cross-checker David Post to take a look.

“Obviously, it’s a high-profile guy who’s got a chance to have a huge upside, so it behooves us to be a partipiant in the opening moments and see where it goes from there,” Wade said.

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6 Comments

Does anyone else think the only reason Ed is sending an Astro rep to watch Chapman is because he knows the Astro fans will go nuts if he doesn’t!lol. I am glad they are atleast pretending to show interest. But with the Yanks and Sox going…they will price us out of the market in a heart beat. Oh well…I wouldn’t want us to dedicate that kind of money to an unproven guy anyway. I mean, it would definitely draw some attention to our Astros, but man…he has never pitched in the majors. Kind of like the whole Strasburg fiasco(sp?) early this year…GO ASTROS!!!

the fact that he is represented by the hendricks is slightly optimistic. they have a very good relationship with the astros. i would love to see the stros sign this kid and give him a shot in the bigs. hopefully all the while not paying him an insane amount of money.

Again, it is stories like this one that annoy me so much. The idea that the Astros were considering Polanco, Feliz coming to the Astros for 1 year to get back to the World Series and now the pretense that they would sign this guy. I’m okay with who the Astros are, but why must you pretend they are something else. Talk about Fantasy Baseball…

The Astros need to spend more money on player development. This would be an excellent opportunity for Drayton McLane to demonstrate his commitment to building for the future. Chapman is going to need a little time in the minors, but could be a very nice investment for 2011 and beyond.I’ve no faith in the Astros to make a strong bid for Chapman’s services, but if they did get him, it would go a long way toward restoring that faith in McLane’s ownership of the club.

Yes, I agree. The move by the club to look at Chapman, is nothing but a foot dragging effort of futility. They will not offer any competitive contract. Of course, this pitcher has a lot of potential to be a competitive starter in the major leagues. Let the Yankees, Boston, Cubs, Dodgers Angels, or Mets have him !!

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